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Coven (Yuki's Lore)
A Coven is a name used to describe a gathering of witches. A coven is generally a group of twelve or more witches who occasionally meet to practice magic, celebrate sacred holidays, and discuss topics on witchcraft. As shown on several occasions, covens seem to always have both a leader and followers. The first known coven of witches to come into existence is the Trinity Coven, forming around 2.5 million to 2.0 million B.C. by Hecate, The Witch-Queen. The Trinity Coven is known to be the top Witch Coven, ruling over all other covens of witches, as they have been travelling across Europe and North America for several millennia, transmitting the knowledge of their spells from one generation to the next and controlling the secret of the supernatural world and all it contains (i.e. witches, vampires, and other creatures). In New Orleans, there are at least nine covens, all of which have detailed rules of conduct and a complex structure. All members of each of the nine New Orleans covens follow a leader known as the Regent. Together, the nine covens are a collective community that has Elders who guide them, and each coven individually has its own structure and different types of magic that they practice (such as Sacrificial Magic, Necromancy, etc) as well. However, they all appear to share their common form of witchcraft, Ancestral Magic, which they practice by drawing upon the magical power of the Ancestors. To earn the title of an Elder, a witch must have the power bestowed upon them by another Elder, or, in the case where there are no Elders to pass on the power, the witch in question must be able to consecrate the mortal remains of a powerful witch; this fail-safe was demonstrated by the witch Katherine Pierce, who became an Elder of the French Quarter Coven after consecrating the remains of Esther Mikaelson. She did this in order to make sure the power from Esther's consecration would not be completely handed over to Sophie Deveraux and the French Quarter coven, thus ensuring the Mikaelsons and Katherine have a foothold in the French Quarter coven. Throughout The Vampire Diaries Series Throughout The Originals Series Structure Traditions and Policies Known Covens Leaders Trivia * The word "coven" was originally a late medieval Scots word (circa 1500) meaning a gathering of any kind according to the Oxford English Dictionary. It derives from the Latin root word "convenire" meaning "to come together" or "to gather", which also gave rise to the English word convene. In modern English, the word "coven" has as its primary meaning "a gathering of witches", more rarely of vampires (who usually go by the name of clan). * College professor Sheila Bennett and Dr. Jonas Martin mentioned that the Bennett Family comes from Salem, Massachusetts. Salem is well known for their history of persecuting witches, including the Salem Witch Trials. * Traditionally, there are thirteen witches in a coven: one leader, and twelve members. * The term "coven" was originally created to give a name to a group of witches, but at present, the term is also used for a group of vampires, as well as "clan" and "den." * If the leader of the Gemini Coven dies, the rest of the members die as well. * It is confirmed there are nine covens in New Orleans.1 ** According to what was suggested by Vincent in City Beneath The Sea, though each of the nine covens of New Orleans practice Ancestral Magic, each of the covens also have other different forms of witchcraft that they practice based on the kind of magic practiced by their ancestors, such as Sacrificial Magic, Representational Magic, Voodoo, Hoodoo, Necromancy, etc. This was confirmed by Vincent after he convinced Davina to become Regent, when he explained to her that her connection to all of the Ancestors of all nine covens would allow her to draw on the different forms of magic that they practiced during their lives, including Necromancy, which would give her the power to bring her boyfriend Kol Mikaelson back from the dead. * The covens of New Orleans are headed by a single witch, known as Regent, who is the voice and the will of the Ancestors and has access to the totality of the power of all of the Ancestors from each of the nine covens. ** This role, until spring 2013, had been covered by Josephine LaRue. After her death, Katherine Pierce--already being an Elder of the French Quarter coven due to consecrating Esther's bones--seized control of the Regency in order to ensure that the covens would no longer harm her daughter. *** However, following Katherine and the Travelers being cursed in the season two finale, Ashes to Ashes, to be cursed into a semi-eternal slumber within the tombs of the French Quarter cemetery by Klaus and Dahlia, Katherine was removed from her position of Regent of the New Orleans Witch Community and Leader of the French Quarter coven. *** Following this, the Elders within the New Orleans witch community then wanted Vincent Griffith to take her place, but due to him being uninterested with the position of Regency, he then nominates Davina Clare to take over the position. ** Davina was officially given the title of Regent following the season two finale of The Originals, Ashes to Ashes, but also before season three premier, For the Next Millennium, after she convinced the Elders that she would help them stand strong against the vampires. ** Both her and the Regent that followed her, Vincent, were shunned. The last Regent, Van Nguyen was murdered by Kol Mikaelson. After his death, a new Regent has not been named, though the witches look to Vincent as a 'Leader' despite his prior rejection from the Ancestors and his part he played in breaking the Ancestors' link to the mortal plane. Gallery Category:Groups Category:Witches Category:Supernatural Category:Witch Covens